I recently read an interesting introduction to espresso in Mary Palmer's cookbook in which she talks about the origins of coffee in Ethiopia. Palmer states that in the 15th century coffee was introduced to the Europeans by way of the Venetians. In 1855, a Frenchman thought up the idea of making quick coffee to be served aboard trains. But the Italians thought the process was too long and devised a way in which to make fresh coffee quicker. In 1903, the Gaggia family in Milan improved on the idea of quick coffee. In 1948, Gaggia perfected espresso by inventing the modern espresso machine using steam, thus allowing the barista to make hundreds of cups of fresh coffee in no time!
Along the same lines, If you're looking for the best espresso machine for home use you can go two ways:
- For $20 you can buy a simple stove top espresso machine that yields decent coffee or,
- Splurge and purchase a $550 brass boiler infused machine like the Rancillo Silvia (the best bang for your buck semi automatic machine on the market!).
Nevertheless, if you can find a real deal espresso bar in the U.S. (sorry Starbucks doesn't get it right) then you'll be in heaven. If you're in the NYC area go to Cafe Latte for Italian style espresso!
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